Two-time all-conference selection Josh Slater signed a one-year professional contract Friday with BG Göttingen of the German BBL League.

“Playing professionally is something that you dream about and I feel blessed to do something that I love to do for a living,” Slater said. “I couldn’t reach the place I am today without great coaches and great teammates to help me out along the way. The last four years are a time that I will cherish and be grateful for.”

BG Göttingen’s management said they liked Slater for his dedication, good instincts, and versatility.

“Josh is a tall guard with good instincts for the game. In a high-tempo game he shows much control over what happens. Both on offense and in defense he impresses us with his energy,” team director Jan Schiecke said in a release on the team’s website.

Head coach Stefan Mienack said he hopes to use Slater at both guard spots and small forward.

Slater is looking forward to his first trip oversees. He’ll leave in mid-August to begin training for the season which starts Oct. 3.

“My wife and I are really excited to experience the culture and see a different side of life than what we’ve been used to,” said Slater. “I’ve lived in Nashville for a long time and it will be an interesting learning and maturing experience to live away from home during our first year of marriage.”

In addition to playing mainly weekend games in the BBL League, BG Göttingen will also play in the EuroChallenge, a multinational competition between 32 teams which runs in stages from October until April.

“The closest experience I’ve had to international basketball is playing with [former Lipscomb teammates] Adnan [Hodzic] and Milos [Klout],” Slater said. “I don’t know what to fully expect, but I’m going to go over there and compete and work hard to hopefully help my team win.”

Slater scored 1,602 points in his four seasons with the Bisons. As a senior he averaged 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.

“For the last four years Josh has worked extremely hard to get in a position to play professional basketball,” Lipscomb head coach Scott Sanderson said. “All of his hard work has paid off. Only a small percentage of guys get to play after college and he certainly deserves this opportunity.”

Slater joins Hodzic in the BBL League, who signed last week with the Walter Tigers.

Slater and Hodzic will play each other twice during the regular season. The first meeting will be October 17 or 18 and the second match between former teammates will be March 31 or April 1.